That latest update offer sounds like a risk-free sensational empty promise. Raising $3300+ in 3 days, given the pace of this KS? That's like almost tripling the total amount raised so far, in a period of time when people are out celebrating and not checking internet as often as usual... That's just plain unrealistic. The announcement of a new stretch goal for a hardcover at 10K would have felt a lot better without this.

@Mike: If we can hit a high-enough mark, we might be able to offer our backers only a special, limited-edition hardcover. Possibly... We'll see how things look & how much time is left after we get through our current goals.

As Chronicle City is now our printing partner, our physical copies will be black & white, though our PDFs can still be in color. Not sure about Sinbad PDF yet, though a stretch for that might be a possibility. Another possibility for a stretch is a full-color fold-up map of the Sinbad campaign!

Based on the interior illos we've seen so far, I assume the book will be black and white inside? But the map was in color. Could you please confirm whether the interior pages are in color or black/white? Thanks!

And if it's B&W, do you think a stretch goal could be made to turn the book into full color?

Also @Epic: And don't think we've forgotten about your offer to help edit some of this stuff--we have noted your skills and will definitely be in touch with you later about giving us a hand!

And Amanda, if you have some links or reference materials for any of these beasts, please share them with us! They sound very fascinating. Not to spoil anything, but we'll have some stretch goals posted up soon, and a couple of the early ones will be to extend the number of critters in our bestiary. So if you can get us some references, and we hit those goals, we can get Nick to start some illustrations! :)

So are there going to be any Zu/Anzu/Imdugud in the bestiary?
Or other Sumerian/Babylonian/Mesopotamian creatures?
Like the Lamassu, Labbu (Lion-serpent), Bašmu (Horned winged venomous two-legged snake), Kulullû (Fish-men), Kusarikku (Bull-men), Scorpion men, Uridimmu (Human headed Lion men) and others?

I've always pictured the Imdugud as a cross of two-legs and head of a wild cat like a caracal with body, wings and tail from a bird of prey. In myth, it's known for snatching/stealing shiny stuff or scrolls. So it can be something to fight or for a PC to own as a pet.

@game smiths - you are far too kind. i really just lucked in to a kick ass job. it's all of the artisan dice backers that really deserve the credit. without their nearly fanatical support i wouldn't be able to make a living hand crafting dice. oh and you can put me down for a book, either print on demand or otherwise.

Also, a bit off topic... But has anyone here seen that BBC show, Merlin? I rather like it. Even though it takes place a couple centuries before this setting, it's good inspiration for anyone who wants to explore the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms! And the way mythology is represented in the show is a bit how we have this campaign imagined.

Other sources for inspiration:

1. Aladdin (the Disney films, as well as the TV series)
2. 13th Warrior
3. The Harryhausen Sinbad trilogy (naturally)
4. Clash of the Titans (the original; took place way, way, way before this era, but it's no less inspiring for a sword-and-sorcery setting such as this)

Does anyone else have any good recommendations...? We'd love to hear them!

@Charlie: First of all, let me say that your your KS project for your dice was inspiring (and the look of those dice--amazing!). And second, yes--we hope to be able to add the physical books on as stretch goals, provided we can afford to do so. But if we don't get to a level where that becomes possible, at the very least we'll be able to later provide the books as print-on-demand at very reasonable prices, since those will require no up-front fees. And thanks for backing us!

@Jeff: We'll try to get some in, though the holidays may delay some of that. We can say that some new Professional Edges will be added to reflect the various archetypes (sorcerer, rogue, etc), but the most exciting part (for us, anyway!) are the ship mechanics. We have been working on a system that will allow players to start the game all aboard the same ship, and as they increase in power, they will get to increase their ship's stats (crew size, speed, durability).

These stats help with random rolls when setting your merchant quests. The farther you travel to make a trade, the more gold you will earn. But the farther you travel, the more rolls you have to make. The higher these stats, the better chance at your success without major incident.

Of course, these random rolls also lend themselves to adventures and side quests, and clever GMs will be able to weave these into an ongoing tale. To facilitate this, we will have a large section dedicated to antagonists. Some will be organizations, while others will be powerful NPCs.

(One such organization are The Sorcerers of the Black Sands, who reside in an obsidian castle and use powerful elemental magic centered around a mysterious black sand.)

In the meantime, please feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions!

I for one want the whole NRG set, Core, Dragon Star, and this one! I was really sad to see the DS KS fail, so I am going to be waiting in the wings to throw more cash at you guys! Here's to a successful KS'er!